The Prince of Peace

Pastor Carol Grace ♦ December 6, 2023 ♦ Leave a comment

(NRSV) Isaiah 9:6 For a child has been born for us,

a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders;

and he is named

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 His authority shall grow continually,

and there shall be endless peace

for the throne of David and his kingdom.

Peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit and it is so needful yet somehow so elusive. In Psalm 122:6 we are told to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and so we do. But in 2023 there is no peace in Jerusalem, nor few places in this physical realm.

On December 10, the second Sunday of Advent, liturgical churches* celebrate the peace promised through Jesus. But the peace Jesus conveys is not necessarily the lack of conflict or the absence of chaos. Instead, the peace that Jesus delivers is that assurance that whatever happens, whatever the circumstance, we are in God’s unfailing care.

When I entered the hospital in 2017 for a quadruple bypass, I experienced a peace that can only be described as supernatural. I had no fear at all.

But following my surgery I had an adverse reaction to the pain medication. I had dreams from which I could not awaken and a general feeling of unrest. The peace I had experienced just a couple of days earlier had vanished and was now replaced with fear. Once home, I was able to refocus on Jesus and my fear subsided.

My prayer today as we look forward to the endless peace promised in the Scripture is that Jesus will turn back the tides of anger and dissension that have spread worldwide and fill us to overflowing with His love and His peace. We light the peace candle on the second Sunday of Advent not because we have peace now, but because we know that the Jesus in Whom we have placed our faith will, upon His return, bring a certain and lasting peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

*Liturgical churches partake in communal activities such as reciting the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostle’s Creed, the Great Thanksgiving preceding Holy Communion, and changing of colors, all of which function to enhance corporate worship.